Hi all,

I've been getting a leveling plausibility error when the exterior temp drops below 50 degrees F; the colder it gets the quicker the fault shows up. When I start the car, I see a pressure sensor reading of 13 bar.
Once leveling commences, it drops considerably, and the compressor status never shows as on (either sitting still or driving above 25 mph). Let it sit overnight, and it's back to 13 bar again (I suppose that's a sign that there aren't any leaks; I have checked and haven't found any).

All fuses are good, and the relays have been changed - and the one in the engine compartment clicks regularly. I'm going to hotwire the compressor and see if it starts; does anyone have any other thoughts/suggestions as to other potential problem areas that I should be looking at?

Also, is it safe to drive in this condition? The suspension seems to function normally even when the pressure sensor reads 0.8 bar; I'm assuming that the system is transferring air to the struts and keeping it there, then returning it to the reservoir when the car is turned off.


Thanks in advance!

 

i have the same levelling plausibility error , its intermittent, i think due to compressor needing an overhaul and seems also temperature related.....
any air compressor and system will be running in wet air unless the system has a dryer !
my car can run on many journeys then flags up the mil lamp with the error, ime going to look at it in better weather as the suspension works ok
its cold and weather is poor at present in uk...
i use thinkcar 2 for diags .

 

Does the system ever show your compressor running, or do you ever hear it? When driving with the iCarsoft plugged in, the compressor always shows as off. When I jump the terminals at the fuse box for the R1 relay, it runs - noisily, but it runs.

A rebuild kit from bagpiping andy will arrive in a few days, and a Mongoose and SDD software is in the works as well. I'm wondering if this is a fault in the ASM, the wiring from it to the fuse box terminal that energizes the relay, the valve block, or the implausible yet possible idea that all three of the NOS relays that I purchased on eBay are bad

I fully understand why folks go with coilover kits, especially if it's a daily driver - but I'm hoping that I'll be able to figure it out and keep it original. We'll see how it goes; meanwhile, it's keeping me out of the pub

 

Do the coilover conversion and you can get back to the pub! It's what you really want and you'll be happier faster. And, you'll come back out to your car after and it won't look how you feel all sagged out on a cold night.

Coilover conversions are a quality stopgap solution when you don't want to lay out 5 grand and/or mess with the problems it can have, but functional air ride does give these cars part of its character. I'll go back at some point. I left all the innards there ready to go again one day.

 

You may need a new cylinder to make the new ring work as it should.
The noisy compressor. could be your signal.
That the ring needed replaced a long time ago, but wasn't.
Found them on flea bay after replacing my compressor with an after market.
Now i have a rebuilt stock compressor on the shelf that should work.
If not, i'm not out a lot of cash, it was less than Andy's ring set up.
For the ring, cylinder, & O ring's, pretty inexpensive.
The piston felt much tighter going back into the cylinder.

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Thanks. Kit arrived yesterday, jacking pucks arrive tomorrow - so we should know something soon